2
Animal Magnetism
Artemis
O nly fools go to the same place they work on their days off for fun. Or maybe just people who are in good with the owner.
Ivy closed the bar to host Angel's birthday party tonight, and the guest list practically filled the place to maximum capacity. To my surprise, Angel also invited me and the boys by extension. We aren't close by any means, but she's nice enough to work with.
I've been watching Angel, though.
Right now, she's sauntering to Saint in her satin pink slingbacks with her beer bottle firmly in pink-painted nails. And I know she's had at least seven or eight shots by now. The birthday girl even has a tab open for drinks for her favorites . It was a massive surprise when I discovered I had made that list.
Angel has also been blowing up the Coyote group chat for weeks about the party, peppering me with innocent enough questions about Saint.
It didn't take me long to understand what she was after. Angel wants Saint to be the patron saint of her pussy. I can't blame the girl; Saint is tall, sexy, funny, and kind. And he can cook.
My wolf watches her, the fuck me eyes she's giving Saint. I try to ignore how my gut twists when I see Saint smile at her.
"Need another drink?" Jay asks in my ear as I'm lining up my shot. Billiards aren't my strong suit, but I can at least hit the balls. Most of the time, anyway.
"I surely could whet my whistle, handsome," I murmur back, resisting the shiver down my spine.
I still can't believe that, after all these years, it's Jay. That he's been here, waiting for me. Well, maybe not waiting , but a girl can have her delusions.
Delulu is the solulu , after all. My wolf rolls her eyes at me, placing her chin delicately upon her crossed paws in the dark confines of my mind.
On my exhale, the cue ball slams into the eleven, a resounding crack echoing through the bar. The striped red ball goes in, but so does the cue after bouncing around the table's edges. Fuck . And that signals the end of my turn. Jay lines up his first shot, sinking his ball. I roll my eyes, swaying my hips to the music. I've had enough to drink tonight that I can't help it anymore.
If I don't move, I'll run .
Angel's playlist isn't half bad, but it's more fist-pumpy than I typically go for. It sounds like a mix of the chart toppers from the last decade, at least . Music is music, but the melodies sound out of place coming from the speakers. Coyote Bills is more of a dive bar than a club or lounge, where her playlist is usually found.
Stop being so critical. My wolf grouses, rolling her golden eyes at me.
Jay easily lines up his last shots—the rat bastard is also a pool shark. I make a show of clapping for him when he sinks each ball and give him a mocking bow when he wins, sinking the black eight ball. He was the one who suggested the game in the first place.
The broad smile Jay gives me after my bow sets my pulse jumping.
"Come on, Gorgeous, let's go get some drinks." He says, replacing our sticks in the rack, then throws an arm across my shoulders. He smells good —like pine and leather—the forest and the interior of his GTR.
I only have to tug on the center of his shirt, tilting my head back for him to turn his face toward mine. Walking backward half a step, I pull his mouth down just as my back hits the wall. The kiss is intense, a clashing of tongues, Jay's thick thigh wedged between my own, his hands in my hair, on my waist. He swallows my moans greedily, winding a hand around my neck.
There's something about Jay, something magnetic, that I can't get enough of.
Hours later, and many, many more drinks later, I find myself leaning on the bar, Jay and Saint standing around me. The heat in my body tells me two things.
One, I'm much drunker than I have been in a very long time. I can't remember the last time I'd gotten a buzz this thorough.
And two, Jay needs to take me home and have his filthy way with me immediately.
When I spot Cook emerging from the back with a fresh pie in his hands, I stand just a little straighter. If that pizza isn't mine, then I will be distraught. Cook spots me staring and gives me a smile and a nod. Wooping, I cheer, " Aye ! Pizza's here!"
" Ayyee !" Jay and Saint cheer back, moving to clear our empty shot glasses and beer bottles.
Cook leaves the pepperoni pizza on the bar before us, leaving with a flourished bow just for me. I shout, "Thank you, Pookie!" to his back as he disappears behind the double doors and into the kitchen.
Jay and Saint waste no time before ripping off slices and chowing down.
Saint doesn't get a bite down before he's hopping in place, complaining about scorching the roof of his mouth.
I laugh at him, carefully selecting my slice and blowing on the molten cheese and sauce.
"Alpha, your girl is making fun of me," Saint whines, giving me a puppy dog pout.
"She is? Guess that makes two of us." Jay laughs, miming the hop-dance Saint did. The laugh I let out echoes throughout the entire bar.
Our pizza disappears quickly between the three of us. We're all slinging jokes back and forth when we're not chewing. And, when I lay my last half-eaten piece back on the tray, too full to finish it, Saint snatches it back up. Without a preamble, he devours my leftovers.
Unable to help myself, I snort and say, "Hah! We just kissed." Then I'm practically delirious with laughter, falling back into Jay's chest.
"How do you figure, Tiny?" Saint asks, his green eyes bright and watchful.
I laugh lightly again before answering, "My mouth was all over that. Your mouth touched my mouth parts. We kissed. Simple."
"I don't think that's how it works, Gorgeous," Jay says in my ear, his voice dark and husky.
"Sure it is." I chortle, tilting my face back to peek at my Alpha through my lashes. Jay's hands drift across my hips and rib cage.
"Do you need a reminder on how kissing works, baby girl?" He practically growls, putting his chest flush to my back.
I smirk before answering "I don't know, maybe. Who's going to teach me?" Laughter leaks out, my heart racing as Jay's hands drift across my body again.
" Brat," Jay growls, gripping my neck.
I lick my lips, smiling up at him. "You like it."
"You bet your fine ass I do," He answers, lowering his mouth to mine, demanding entrance. As always, the kiss is practically mind-melting and all-consuming. He tastes like tequila and home . By the time he's done, my heart feels like it's going to pound out of my chest, an echoing throb between my legs. Molten heat is unspooling low in my belly.
Saint's eyes are on us when Jay recedes. Green eyes flashing, the sign of his wolf rising. My lip is between my teeth for a single racing heartbeat before Jay notices and says to the tall blonde, "Careful, Saint. She's looking at you like she wants you to try next."
I don't get to turn my head even a quarter of the way before Jay's large, warm hand circles my neck, keeping me still and facing Saint.
"Is that right, Tiny?" Saint rumbles, leaning on the bar top. It makes his burnt orange T-shirt stretch, exposing the lines of his stomach and a fine-line tattoo that disappears under his jeans. Jay's thumb stroking down my pulse is as much of a distraction as Saint's bare stomach. The light catches on the chains around Saint's neck and rings on his fingers. My attention lingers on the fine-lined tattoos on his fingers.
Right now, I don't feel like a wolf. I feel like a rabbit. Caged and pinned. It's an unexpected feeling but not an unwelcome one.
I gulp, licking my bottom lip before answering lightly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on, baby girl. You want to see who's better?" Jay goads, his breath fanning against my neck, his hand caressing my pulse and jaw. "I thought you needed a reminder of how kissing works."
Laughter titters out of me, goosebumps racing down my spine, making me feel like a livewire. My wolf stirs, her golden eyes swinging into focus in the depths of my mind.
Jay has me pressed against him, nearly every inch of our bodies touching. His cock is rock hard against the curve of my ass, though his fingers don't tremble, his heart doesn't pound against my back. If you were to hook my heart up to an EKG machine, however, the resulting report could be read like the lines on a Richter scale.
"Well, do you kiss better than Jay, Saint?" I finally purr, leaning into Jay more fully. He murmurs a quick 'that's my girl' in my ear, dark and husky, mouth closing over my pulse. I barely manage to stifle my moan.
Green eyes flick over my shoulder before refocusing on me.
"You'll have to tell me, Tiny." Saint rasps before he steps towards Jay and me, grabs my neck, and kisses me full on the mouth. Immediately, he's demanding entrance, running his tongue along the seam of my lips. I open for him, sucking on his tongue, swallowing his groan. He tastes like tequila and cinnamon. He smells like chasing the snow through the trees.
Jay's hands roam over my ribs and down my hips while Saint kisses me, my boyfriend's mouth leaving hot kisses against my neck and shoulders. I feel like a rubberband about to snap.
And then, too soon, the kiss is over, and Jay's husky voice is again in my ear. "So, who's better?" Saint's green eyes are still on us, on me, as he sips his drink, once again leaning on the bar, the line of his hips exposed.
"I'm not sure. Why don't you kiss each other and see what you think?" I sass, laying my head on Jay's shoulder, watching them through my lashes, taking a sip of my cocktail through a straw.
Jay chuckles, and Saint laughs, draining the rest of his drink. "I'll do anything for twenty bucks." The joke doesn't match Saint's intense green eyes. I don't know how I know that, but I do.
"Twenty bucks is twenty bucks!" Jay agrees, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.
I see the doors to the kitchen open just as the music cuts, and Ivy hops on the bar, shouting, "Time to sing for the birthday girl! Ya'll better do it, too!" She orders, pointing at the room with the soda gun. Cook emerges with a giant sheet cake, a pyrotechnics dream-worthy sparkler-candle thing on top with a fondant crown.
When the room chimes up with the first words of the happy birthday song, the three of us, along with everyone else. Angel doesn't seem thrilled by the cake, but I think it looks good. Cook serves up slices, drinks are refilled, and the playlist starts again.
The night goes on, Jay and I dance and kiss. I see Dante and Ivy sneak out of the room sometime later, laughing as Jay swings me around.